For electrical connections in automotive vehicles, it is common to use male and female terminals made of metal such as copper, mounted in connector housings made of insulating material, such as plastics.
These terminals are usually made of folded and stamped sheet(s) of metal and comprise a rear tail for attaching (e.g. by crimping and/or soldering) an electrical lead and a terminal body having a connecting portion.
In case of female terminals, the connecting portion is a receptacle (also called cage) for receiving and contacting a male terminal. In case of male terminals, it is a pin to be inserted in a cage of female terminal.
For the connector mounting, a terminal is inserted in a respective housing cavity in a direction which is opposite to the mating direction of a counter-connector with the connector. In other words when the connector is mated with a counter-connector, terminals tend to be pushed back in a direction which is opposite to the direction in which terminal are inserted in the cavity. Thus terminals have to be prevented from moving back. For this purpose, locking lances are often used in order to lock terminals in insulating housings. This corresponds to the so called “primary locking”, which is essentially useful during the assembly process of cable harnesses with connectors.
Sometimes, locking lances are made of plastic beams extending from the housing and engaging a respective opening in the terminal. Other times, locking lances are metal beams extending from the terminal.
Due to the continuous trend to enlarged functional contents in vehicles, downsizing of components in general, and of connectors in particular, becomes more important. Common terminal size has been set up to now to 0.63 mm for the width of the male terminal pins. To achieve smaller packaging in combination with reduced cable dimensioning, this dimension tends to become 0.5 mm, in order to reduce the terminal pitch in connectors from 2.54 mm to 1.8 mm. And this trend may lead to even smaller pitch and terminal dimensions.
Such terminals are called miniaturized terminals. For example, miniaturized female terminals have a cage adapted for receiving male pins having a cross-section less than 1 mm width, for instance 0.5 mm width or even less than that, and 0.4 mm thick or less. These so-called miniaturized terminals are made of only one piece but are required to fulfill common specifications based on usual performance of two piece terminals, in particular in terms of processing, of robustness, as well as in terms of retention force, dynamic load performance, reduced mating force, and increased lifetime.
Due to the small dimensions of miniaturized terminals, designing robust, though elastic, metal locking lances becomes challenging.
Metal locking lances extend longitudinally substantially between a front portion linked to the terminal body to a free end. In fact, when the terminal is accommodated in a housing cavity, the longitudinal direction of the locking lance makes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the terminal, so that the free end of the locking lance protrudes from the remaining part of the terminal. Indeed, the locking lance is elastically linked to the terminal body so as to retract along this terminal body during the insertion of the terminal in its housing cavity and to spring back for engaging a stop in the housing when in place in this cavity.
A coding ridge is also provided on the terminal body. Such a coding ridge prevents the insertion of the terminal in its cavity in a wrong orientation. The locking lance and the coding ridge are advantageously cut out from the same blank. The locking lance may advantageously be carried out by terminal body, in alignment with the coding ridge so as to have the locking lance protected by the coding ridge during the insertion of the terminal in its cavity.
Patent document EP 2193577 B1 discloses a female terminal of the prior art comprising a terminal body made of a folded and stamped sheet of metal. In female terminals, the terminal body has a cage-shaped receptacle which extends in the insertion direction of the male terminal pin. The terminal body extends longitudinally along this insertion direction between a front end and a rear end. The front end comprises a front opening, for inserting the male terminal pin, and the rear end is linked to the rear tail through an intermediate portion. A locking lance extends longitudinally along the insertion direction from a front portion to a free end. The front portion is elastically linked to the terminal body, toward (i.e. in the vicinity of) its front end. The free end of the locking lance is toward the rear end of the terminal body. The locking lance is in alignment with a coding ridge. The locking lance has essentially an L-shape cross section with a side wall and a top wall, folded at right angle from each other.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.